“What does justice mean to you at work?” – This question began HR Week 8, a cycle of webinars No Fluff Jobs devoted to the hottest inflammatory points on the labor market. During the second meeting, “opportunities for development – who will really advance and why?”, Experts undermined many myths about how promotions in companies really work.
Katarzyna Łońska, HR Business Partner, Magdalena Merk, a recruitment specialist and founder of the Career Group and Natalia Lisieck, career and headhunter, took part in the panel led by Dorota Piekarska, Marketing Project Manager and HR specialist in NFJ. Each of them knows situations in which professional development had nothing to do with an objective assessment of competence.
Invisible experts. Why does nobody appreciate your work?
As Natalia Lisiecka emphasized, talent and good results are not enough. It is key to skillfully communicating your achievements and building the image of readiness to be promoted. And here the first problem begins.
Many people believe that “good work will defend themselves.” Meanwhile, the data contradict this. In organizations, not those who have the greatest competences, but those whom others perceive as ready for promotion are often advanced.
According to Magdalena Merk, organizations particularly value employees' attitude towards the company's mission and value. People who can act consistently, step by step, and see themselves in the company for longer are appreciated. Sometimes it is more important than the skills themselves.
Paradoxically, it happens that the more talented, independent and ambitious employee, the harder it is to be promoted. Such people can be picked up as a threat. And this leads to a mechanism in which those who are more like decision makers, and not necessarily the best, get promotion.
Game without instructions. How do you know what the employer expects?
According to No Fluff Jobs, Only 18 percent employees know the rules of promotion in his company. The rest plays the game, which no one gave them rules. No wonder they are losing.
As Katarzyna Łońska noted, most organizations lack clearly described development paths. Employees often learn only after the fact that “something was missing” to promotion, although no one has previously defined specific expectations.
Many employees who perform additional tasks for years, take responsibility, come out with the initiative, still hear that “this is not the moment yet.” Meanwhile, promotion is not a reward for loyalty. This is an organizational decision, resulting from specific business needs.
Women have to try more and prove their value
Although awareness of inequalities at work is growing, some things remain unchanged. Experts unanimously admitted that women more often have to present hard results and specific achievements to get promotion. Men, on the other hand, will be more often promoted to “potential”.
Added to this is a mechanism known as “confidence gap” – the man applies to the position, even if he meets only a part of the requirements, the woman thoroughly analyzes each point and gives up if he does not meet everyone. He takes himself a chance because he does not feel fully prepared – explained Katarzyna Łońska.
A generation that redefines success
Generational changes also sounded strongly in the discussion. Younger employees change the rules governing the labor market. For many representatives, the gene with traditional vertical promotion is no longer a target.
Instead, they focus on levels, more interesting projects, more sense and less stress. Increasingly, they ask no “how to enter the level higher?”, But “will it bring something to my life?”
– For many people, there is a real promotion today to access to innovative projects in which they can develop substantively Magdalena Merk noted. – This is more important than the next levels of the ladder.
Unfortunately, employers do not seem to see it. Companies still offer classic promotion paths, while the best talents expect something different.
You won't go far
Promotion is not only the result of work, but also relationships, reputation, presence at the appropriate table. It is worth having people who say a good word about someone when he is not in the room.
It sounds like banality, but in fact it is simply career management – especially at a time when teamwork and relationships within the organization count more than ever.
Candidates too competent
Candidates with such a strong CV are another paradox that the experts pointed out that employers are afraid of them.
– We hear from the candidates: “I have such a strong experience that nobody wants to hire me, because everyone assumes that I will want to get promoted quickly,” said Dorota Piekarska.
Meanwhile, more and more often Professionals consciously choose roles with less responsibility. They want to work without tension related to management, pressure and mocking.
Do you really want to advance?
Not everyone wants to be a leader. Not everyone wants to manage the team, arrange budgets and fight for revenues. Not everyone finds themselves in organizational policy.
That is why it is worth asking yourself a few honest questions: what do I really want? Where do I want to be next year? What gives me satisfaction – power, autonomy, prestige or financial security? It may turn out that the rush behind the promotion results only from imposed beliefs, and not from the choice of thoughtful career path.
Promotions should be transparent and based on specific data. Leaders must understand that contemporary leadership requires regular developmental conversations, and not only cyclical evaluation. In turn, employees should manage their career consciously and actively – communicate their achievements, build a network of contacts and keep your finger on the pulse. Above all, however, we must accept the fact that there is no one definition of success. Instead, there are very specific traps through which we start living with someone else's script instead of our own.
